Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed on March 14, 2008, in Oslo, an agreement between Norway, the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Development Bank for the creation of a Human Rights Trust Fund. The main purpose of the Fund is to support national efforts of Member States in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights. Norway will make an initial contribution of one million euros to the fund – which is open for other states to participate.
27/03/2008 :: On 16 January 2008, the Committee of Ministers unanimously agreed to authorize the Secretary General to sign an agreement between Norway, the Council of Europe, and the Council of Europe Development Bank for the creation of a Human Rights Trust Fund.
The main purpose of the Fund is to support national efforts of Member States in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights, as highlighted in the in the Action Plan adopted at the Council’s III Summit in Warsaw in 2005. The fund shall in particular contribute to activities that aim to strengthening the sustainability of the European Court of Human Rights by ensuring:
• that effective national remedies exist for anyone who wishes to file a complaint due to a violation of the Convention
• that procedures at national level comply with the legal procedures under the Convention to conduct effective investigation in the case of serious violations of human rights
• that effective mechanisms exist for verifying the compatibility of draft legislation and administrative practice with the Convention
• the adequate training in convention standards of law professionals
• the dissemination of the Court’s case-law
• full and timely domestic execution of judgments of the Court
• adequate organisation and management of administrative and judicial public services
Through the enlargement of the Council of Europe to the central and eastern European countries, the Convention and the Court of Human Rights have become genuine pillars in the protection of human rights in the whole of Europe. However, the accession of new democracies to the Convention, has also contributed to the profound crisis in which the Court finds itself today – struggling to cope with a constantly rising flow of new applications and a vast back log of cases.
Effective national mechanisms to ensure respect for the Convention of Human Rights, including effective domestic remedies for anyone with an arguable complaint of a Convention violation, is without doubt the most important measure to be taken to reduce the number of applications before the Court and, thus, contribute to it’s sustainability.
It is against this background that Foreign Minister Støre, at the Ministerial meeting in Strasbourg in May 2006, suggested to establish a trust fund in cooperation with the Council of Europe Development Bank and the Council of Europe to support national efforts of Member states in implementing Human Rights.
Norway also hopes that the Trust Fund will become a valuable example of the increased engagement of the Council of Europe Development Bank in promoting democracy, the rule of law and human rights, which also is in line with the Action Plan from the Council of Europe’s Summit in Warsaw in May 2005.
The Government of Norway will contribute with 1 mill EURO as initial capital for the Fund.
Links to press releases issued by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Europe concerning the establishment of the Trust Fund:
• The Council of Europe and Norway create a trust fund to support the implementation of the Convention on Human Rights
• Norge og Europarådet oppretter Menneskerettighetsfond